Stardock: PC Gaming Problems Not Microsoft’s Fault
By Chris on Friday, June 20th, 2008 at 12:11 PM PST In Computer, Game Companies, Game Platforms, Gamer Life, Games Industry, Microsoft
The whole notion that PC gaming is dead is utter nonsense, but there’s no denying that PC gaming does face a number of serious problems. If you blame Microsoft for not being more of a leader in the area, though, Stardock’s Brad Wardell would care to disagree with you.
“It’s not Microsoft’s fault,” said Wardell, according to Next-Gen. “Yes, PC gaming needs a champion. That’s one of the things that drove us to do Impulse. … But we’ve seen what happens when Microsoft tries to implement useful things in their operating system. They get sued.”
He continued, “… The reason why Microsoft can’t do as much as they should is because we’re talking about a company that gets sued if they bundle a media player with their OS.”
Microsoft was fined roughly $2 billion back in 2003 by the European Union for bundling Windows Media Player with Windows. It could conceivably be the same situation if Microsoft were to bundle a digital distribution client with Windows, Wardell believes, meaning that “It’s really up to the third parties to come in.”
what dose a media player have to do with pc gaming … tards!
“It could conceivably be the same situation if Microsoft were to bundle a digital distribution client with Windows”
There is already a digital distribution client bundled with Windows. It’s called Internet Explorer. The only reason game companies want to use their own client software just a standard web browser for their digital distribution efforts is so they can turn their games into tenuous, DRM-infected “subscriptions” like Steam and its ilk so that the consumer doesn’t really own and control the games he thought he purchased. Such client software turns PC games from a product into a tenuous service where the developer and/or publisher ultimately gets to decide when, if, and in what form the customer can play the game after it is purchased.
“It could conceivably be the same situation if Microsoft were to bundle a digital distribution client with Windows”
There is already a digital distribution client bundled with Windows. It’s called Internet Explorer. The only reason game companies want to use their own client software instead of just a standard web browser for their digital distribution efforts is so they can turn their games into tenuous, DRM-infected “subscriptions” like Steam and its ilk so that the consumer doesn’t really own and control the games he thought he purchased. Such client software turns PC games from a product into a tenuous service where the developer and/or publisher ultimately gets to decide when, if, and in what form the customer can play the game after it is purchased.
You won’t get a bigger advocate against DRM than Brad Wardell.
For some time now, it’s been hip to hate on Microsoft. I used to be in that crowd. Not anymore. I grew out of it.
The reality is that it’s no longer hip to blame them for the world’s problems (except maybe that moldy swiss cheese known as IE). They’ve done far more good than bad this decade. So yeah, I’m in line with Stardock on noting Microsoft’s somewhat recently unfair treatment. The hate is getting old.
Phil, Steam and valve are the best things to happen to PC gaming in years. What you’re complaining about is a way to stop people pirating their games, its not like they can stop you from playing a game that is available and paid for without being sued.
Phil, I’ve asked before, but could you please explain to me how Steam is a subscription service?
“Phil, I’ve asked before, but could you please explain to me how Steam is a subscription service?”
Yes, but I have answered you before. Apparently you either don’t know how to read or couldn’t handle the truth. So, if you wish to swallow the bitter pill, see my last post at http://news.filefront.com/eidos-everything-pack-20-games-on-steam-for-100/ It’s the most recent time I have expounded on the issue of Steam’s subscription service on this website.
Phil, he probably ignored your well written argument the minute you followed your usual insult based discussion tactics like most reasonable people do. If you dislike the writing staff here so much why do you bother to post responses or read their opinions?
“Steam and valve are the best things to happen to PC gaming in years.”
That sure as hell doesn’t say much for PC gaming then. Steam embodies everything that’s wrong with PC gaming today by delivering less for more and taking away choice, flexibility, and competition.
“What you’re complaining about is a way to stop people pirating their games”
No, because Steam doesn’t really stop anyone with even a modicum of intelligence from pirating its games. Unauthorized copies of every game available through Steam can be freely downloaded following an easy Google search. The only thing Steam’s DRM/copy-protection does is take away the flexibility and control of those foolish enough to pay Valve for “subscribing” to its games. Those who use hacked copies of the Steam software don’t have to put up with Steam’s DRM and other restrictions.
“its not like they can stop you from playing a game that is available and paid for without being sued.”
Valve most certainly can and does prevent customers from playing the games for which they paid by terminating customers’ accounts regardless of the number of games to which they have subscribed or the amount of money they have paid for the games. Valve has a self-described “zero tolerance” enforcement policy for violations of the Steam subscriber agreement, its online code of conduct, and its other broad and vague policies. Valve can terminate a customer’s Steam account at any time without notice for almost any reason it unilaterally decides is valid, and there is no compensation or direct recourse for the affected customer. In addition this policy is not just an idle threat as Steam’s built-in DRM effectively enforces it.
As for the prospect of a lawsuit over the enforcement of this policy, Valve and its lawyers obviously believe that the Steam Suscriber Agreement indemnifies the company from any liability over it as the customer supposedly assents to these policies. And, I have never heard of a customer successfully suing Valve over having his Steam account banned or disabled although I have seen quite a few reports online from customers who have unfortunately had Valve disable their Steam accounts and all of their Steam games. If you think Valve can’t really do that, think again. It can and has done it.
“If you dislike the writing staff here so much why do you bother to post responses”
I usually only post responses when they are wrong in the hope that either they will correct their error(s) in the story or that at least other readers will read my comments and get the real story.
So in effect you feel its your duty to “correct” the people who write for Gaming Today, and to be the beacon of truth for the uninformed readers.. boy if that doesn’t sound like a bit of a messianic complex.. no offense but it just seems to me you do it to get attention and if you really wanted to help the rest of us or to correct the writers here you wouldn’t immediately go to “verbal assault” mode and name calling. I guess I didn’t recognize your credentials as an expert before, but its all pretty clear to me now.
If you’re going to look out for the rest of us couldn’t you be more considerate about it? I mean if you’re right I doubt anyone here is going to insult you, they may not accept your facts or opinions but I don’t think they’d berate you or insult you. The sad thing is that it seems that’s exactly what you do to others which just makes people like me less willing to accept the valid points you make.